Devarim 12

1These are the chukkim and mishpatim over which ye shall be shomer to do in ha'aretz, which Hashem Elohei Avoteicha giveth thee to possess it, kol hayamim that ye live upon ha'adamah.

2Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the Goyim which ye shall possess served their elohim, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree;

3And ye shall overthrow their mizbechot, and break their matzeivot, and burn their Asherim with eish; and ye shall hew down peselim of their elohim, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

4Ye shall not do so unto Hashem Eloheichem.

5But unto the place which Hashem Eloheichem shall choose out of all your shevatim to put Shmo there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

6And thither ye shall bring your olot, and your zevakhim, and your ma'aseros (tithes), and terumot (heave offerings) of your hand, and your nedarim (vows), and your nedavot (freewill offerings), and the bekhorot (firstlings) of your herds and of your flocks;

7And there ye shall eat before Hashem Eloheichem, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Hashem Eloheicha hath blessed thee.

8Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here today, ish koh hayashar be'einav (every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes).

9For ye are not as yet come to the menuchah (resting place) and to the nachalah, which Hashem Eloheicha giveth you.

10But when ye go over Yarden, and dwell in ha'aretz which Hashem Eloheichem giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

11Then there shall be a place which Hashem Eloheichem shall choose to cause Shmo to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your olot, and your zevakhim, your ma'aseros (tithes), and the terumah (heave offering) of your hand, and all your choice nedarim (vows) which ye vow unto Hashem;

12And ye shall rejoice before Hashem Eloheichem, ye, and your banim, and your banot, and your avadim, and your maidservants, and the Levi that is within your she'arim; forasmuch as he hath no chelek nor nachalah with you.

13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy olot in every place that thou seest;

14But in the place which Hashem shall choose in one of thy shevatim, there thou shalt offer thy olot, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

15Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat basar in all thy she'arim, whatsoever thy nefesh desireth, according to the birkat Hashem Eloheicha which He hath given thee; hatameh (the unclean) and hatahor (the clean) may eat thereof, as if it were gazelle or deer.

16Only ye shall not eat the dahm; ye shall pour it upon ha'aretz as mayim.

17Thou mayest not eat within thy she'arim the ma'aser (tithe) of thy dagan (grain), or of thy tirosh (new wine), or of thy yitzhar (fresh oil), or the bekhorot (firstlings) of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy nedarim (vows) which thou vowest, nor thy nedavot (freewill offerings), or terumah (heave offering) of thine hand;

18But thou must eat them before Hashem Eloheicha in the place which Hashem Eloheicha shall choose, thou, and thy ben, and thy bat, and thy eved, and thy amah, and the Levi that is within thy she'arim; and thou shalt rejoice before Hashem Eloheicha in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

19Be shomer to thyself that thou forsake not the Levi as long as thou livest upon ha'adamah.

20When Hashem Eloheicha shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat basar, because thy nefesh longeth to eat basar; thou mayest eat basar, whatsoever thy nefesh desireth after.

21If the place which Hashem Eloheicha hath chosen to put Shmo there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Hashem hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy she'arim whatsoever thy nefesh desireth after.

22Even as the gazelle and the deer is eaten, so thou shalt eat them; the tameh (unclean) and the tahor (clean) shall eat of them alike.

23Only be sure that thou eat not the dahm; for the dahm is the nefesh; and thou mayest not eat the nefesh with the basar.

24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon ha'aretz as mayim.

25Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy banim after thee, when thou shalt do that which is yashar in the sight of Hashem.

26Only thy kadashim (holy things) which thou hast, and thy nedarim (vows), thou shalt take, and go unto the place which Hashem shall choose;

27And thou shalt offer thy olot, the basar and the dahm, upon the Mizbe'ach of Hashem Eloheicha; and the dahm of thy zevakhim (sacrifices) shall be poured out upon the mizbe'ach of Hashem Eloheicha, and thou shalt eat the basar.

28Be shomer and heed all these devarim which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy banim after thee ad olam, when thou doest that which is tov and yashar in the sight of Hashem Eloheicha.

29When Hashem Eloheicha shall cut off the Goyim from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou displace them, and dwellest in their land;

30Be shomer to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their elohim, saying, How did these Goyim serve their elohim? Even so will I do likewise.

31Thou shalt not do so unto Hashem Eloheicha; for kol to'avat Hashem (every abomination to Hashem), which He hateth, have they done unto their elohim; for even their banim and their banot they have burned in the eish to their elohim.

32 What thing soever I command you, be shomer to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor take away or diminish from it.

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Devarim 12: TOJB2011

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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE

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Deuteronomy 12

Only One Place of Worship

1These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3#Deut 7.5. and ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 4Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. 5But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: 7and there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. 8Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. 9For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. 10But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; 11then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord: 12and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. 13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: 14but in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

15Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. 16#Gen 9.4; Lev 7.26,27; 17.10-14; 19.26; Deut 15.23. Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water. 17Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: 18but thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. 19Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

20When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 21If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 22Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike. 23#Lev 17.10-14. Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. 24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. 25Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. 26Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose: 27and thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh. 28Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God.

Warning against Idolatry

29When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

32 # Deut 4.2; Rev 22.18,19. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

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